Cup carrying container



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United sees Patent 3,257,053 CUP CARRYING CONTAINER Carlton WilliamMergi, 604-B Beta Court,

Campbell, Calif. Filed June 26, 1964, Ser. No. 378,165 Claims. (Cl.224-45) The present invention relates to an improved cup carryingcontainer.

As is well known, the coffee break is a common phenomenon of our presentday society. Frequently the coffee is not consumed where it is pouredand therefore has to be carried to another area, usually in paper cups.In the past the carrying of paper cups was highly impractical and anuisance. In this respect the cups had to be carried by gently holdingthe rims thereof to avoid burning the fingers or instead the cups werepacked into paper bags which had to be handled delicately and held withboth hands to avoid spilling. It is with a cup carrying container whichprovides an entirely new concept of carrying cups and which overcomesthe above enumerated shortcomings that the present invention isconcerned.

It is accordingly the primary object of the present invention to providea cup carrying container which is capable of mounting a plurality ofliquid carrying cups in an extremely stable manner during transit. Arelated object of the present invention is to provide a cup carryingcontainer into which cups may 'be easily inserted and from which theymay be easily removed, notwithstanding that they are held in anextremely stable manner during transit.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved cupcarrying container which permits it to be set down on a surface whilemounting cups therein without tipping.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved cupcarrying container which can be used equally well both with cups havingprojecting lower rims and with cups in which the lower portions do nothave such rims. 1

A still further object of the present invention is to provide animproved cup carrying container which may be fabricated at relativelylow cost in an extremely simple and expedient manner from planar sheetsof material without the requirement for complex gluing, bending, orforming operations.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an improvedcup-carrying container which lies flat for storage and can be formed tomount cups by mere bending. Other objects and attendant advantages ofthe present invention will readily be perceived hereafter.

The present invention relates to an improved cup carrying containerwhich is fabricated from a sheet of substantially planar material, suchas light cardboard, which has scoring therein for permitting it to bebent to a desired configuration prior to use, and has configurations ofcups to be carried therein cut out therefrom. Each of the cutoutportions for receiving a cup has a configuration including an upper tabwhich acts not only to retain the cup mounted on the cardboard but alsofirmly maintain the cup cover in its seated position to therefore tendto obviate spillage. In addition each or the cutouts has a lower tab inopposition to the upper tab for either providing latching engagementwith a cup having a rim or for providing a shelf for supporting thelower edge of a cup which is rimless. The vertical sides of the cutouttend to engage the sides of the cup to provide a stabilizing effect onthe cups in transit. In addition, a handle is provided in the containerby punching out a portion of the planar sheet to permit the hand to beinserted therethrough. However, the punched out portions are notcompletely severed but are hinged to provide a blunt bearing surfaceagainst a persons fingers, thus enhancing the comfort with which thecontainer may be carried. Furthermore, the openings in the planarsheet-like memberfor receiving the cups may have scored portionsassociated therewith for permitting the height of the cutout to bevaried to accommodate cups of different sizes. Various arrangements areprovided for causing the cup carrying, container to be self-standing.

The present invention will be more fully understood when the followingportions of the specification are read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a plan viewof a planar sheet-like member in anunfoldedstoring condition in accordance with a first embodiment of the presentinvention; 7

FIGURE 2 is an end elevational view of the container of FIGURE 1 in itsfolded condition and showing how cups are mounted therein;

FIGURE 3 is a side'elevational view of the cup carry ing container shownin FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the container shown in FIGURES 1-3; 7

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken substantially alongline 55 of FIGURE 3 and showing the manner in which a lower tab supportsa cup having a rim on the bottom thereof;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary view of an alternate embodiment of the presentinvention showing how the lower tab may be bent to provide a ledge forsupporting a cup which does not have a rim on the lower edge FIGURE 10is a view taken substantially along line 10-10 of FIGURE 9;

FIGURE 11 shows a modified embodiment of the present invention whereinthe container is self-standing;

FIGURE 12 is a view of still a further modified type of self-standingtype of container; 1

FIGURE 13 shows a'modified form of cup receiving cutout which may beutilized in conjunction with all of the embodiments of the presentinvention; and

FIGURE 14 shows an adjustable modification similar to FIG. 13. 1

In FIGURES 1-5 a first embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.'In its normally flat storing condition the container 10 consists of aflat sheet of cardboard or the like 11 which is substantiallyrectangular in form except that the end portions are cut away as at 12to make handle portions 13 standout more prominently (FIG. 3). terlineof sheet 11 are scored lines 14 and 15 which permit sheet 11 to befolded from its condition shown in FIGURE 1 to its condition shown inFIGURES 2, 3, 4 and 5.

A plurality of cup receiving cutouts 16 are provided.

in sheet 11 and each of these are preferably identical and therefore thedescription of one will suflice. Each cut-. out 16 includes a downwardlyextending uppertab 17 and an upwardly extending lower tab 18. -At eachside. of tab 17 is a laterally extending slot 19 for receiving the rim20 of cover 21 mounted on cup 22. When cup 22. 1 (FIGURE 5) having apronounced lower rim 23 is to be mounted into cup carrying container 10,it is merely Spaced equal amounts from the cennecessary to slip rim 23over upstanding tab 18 so that the rim rests within downwardly extendingcutout portions 24 and thereafter push the cup so that the upper rim 20is received within slots 19 and is held in latching engagement bydownwardly extending tab 17 which, in combination with slots 19,performs the duel function of retaining cup 22 in position and alsomaintaining cover 20 firmly seated on the edge of cup 22. When cup 22 isin the position shown in FIGS.-25, the sides 25 of cutout 16 tend toengage the side surface of cup 22 to thereby further stabilize said cupin its mounted position.

It is to be noted from FIGURES 1-5 that cutouts 16 on one side ofcontainer are staggered with respect to cutouts 16 on the other side.This not only perrriits the container in its folded cup carryingposition to be relatively thin but also tends to cause the sides ofopposed cups 22 to engage each other (FIGURE 4) to thereby furtherstabilize the mounting of said cups in said container.

The cup carrying container 10 is provided with a handle 26-whichconsists of opposed handle portions 13 (FIGURE 1). More specifically,each handle portion 13 is formed by shearing an elongated section 27 ateach end of sheet 11 along line 28 while merely scoring the portion 29between the ends of line 28. This permits portions 27 to be turnedinwardly as shown in FIGURE 2 to thereby provide an aperture 30 at eachend of sheet 11 for receiving a persons fingers. In addition, it will benoted that the bending of portions 27 inwardly provides a relativelylarge bearing area for resting on a persons fingers to thereby preventthe edges of opening 30 from cutting into a persons hand.

It will be readily appreciated that sheets such as 11 may be veryconveniently stored because they occupy relatively little space and inaddition can be set up for use be merely bending sheet 11 as describedin detail above. Furthermore, the container of FIGURES 1-5 can be veryeasily carried with one hand thereby permitting a person to use hisother hand for opening doors and the like, which is difficult with theother types of carrying arrangements described above.

To withdraw a cup 22 from container, it is merely necessary to reversethe insertion procedure by slipping the top of the cup past tab 17 andthereafter lifting it from tab 18.

A modified form of the present invention is shown-in FIGURES 6 and 7.The entire container may be identical to that shown in FIGURES 1-5except that a scored line 31 is provided along the lowermost portions ofcutouts 24 to permit lower tabs 18 to be bent outwardly as shown inFIGURE 7 to support a cup 22' which does not have a pronounced rim atits lower edge. It will be appreciated however that the embodiment ofFIG- URES 1-5 may also function in this manner without scoring 31 butthat the scoring enhances the ease with which tab 18 may be formed intoa shelf to support cups which do not have a pronounced rim.

In FIGURE 8 a still further modification of the present invention isdisclosed which may be applied to any of the foregoing embodiments. Inthis embodiment a plurality of scored lines 32 and 33 are provided belowtab 18 at the edge of cutout 16'. The purpose of the scored line is tocause cutout 16" to be capable of rereceiving a plurality of differentsize containers. More specifically, if the height of the containersshould exceed the distance between the upper tab 17 and lower tab 18, adownward force on lower tab 18 as a result of the upper rim of thecontainer moving under upper tab '17 will cause tab 18 to fold alongline 32 or 33 to thus increase the distance between tabs 17 and 18.Furthermore, the lower rim of the container will enter the slots formedby the separation of sheet 11 along portions of scoring lines 32 and 33underlying cutouts 24.

In FIGURES 9 and 10 a still further embodiment of the present inventionis shown wherein a hole 34 is provided adjacent the lower scored line 14of the folded container and scored lines 35 and 36 are caused to extendlaterally therefrom and terminate at downwardly extending score lines 37and 38. This embodiment is utilized for permitting the carryingcontainer 10' which may be identical to that shown in FIGURES 1-5 in allother respects, to be self-standing in the event that the person desiresto place the container on a supporting surface. By merely inserting afinger into hole 34 and pulling tabs 39 (FIGURE 10) outwardly to therebyunderlie the lower edges of the cup within cutouts 16 many points ofsupport will be provided for the cups in the container. The foregoingstructure will be stable, especially considering that it rests both onthe lower edges of tabs 39 and the portion of sheet 11 between scoredlines 14 and 15. It will be appreciated that when tabs 39 are pulledoutwardly the sheet 11 will tear along scored lines 14 and 35 and 14 and36 and the tabs 39 will bend relative to sheet 11 along lines 37 and 38.It will be appreciated that the foregoing structure is associated withboth sides of the container, as can be seen from FIG. 10.

In FIGURE 11 a still further embodiment of the present invention isshown which is also self-standing. In this embodiment of the inventionthe cutouts 16" may be identical to cutouts 16 of FIGURES l-S and handleportions 13 may be identical to handle portions 13 of FIGURES 15,including inwardly extending tabs, not shown, corresponding to tabs 27.However, in this embodiment scored lines 14 and 15 are provided in sheet11' in such a manner that they extend in a direction which issubstantially perpendicular to the direction of the cutout handle ratherthan parallel thereto as in FIG- URES l-5. "It will be readilyappreciated that the cup carrying container 10" of FIGURE 11 may becarried in the same manner as that of the embodiment of FIG- URES 1-10.However, if it is desired to set the conso that the container 10" willbe self-standing along its lower edges. It will be appreciated that theembodiment of FIG. 11 may include the subject matter of FIGS. 6, 7 and8, if desired.

In FIGURE 12 a still further type of self-standing container 10" isshown which consists of a substantially frusto-pyramidal shell 42 havingsides 43, 44, 45 and 46 each containing a cutout 16" for receiving acup. Cutout 16 may be identical with cutouts 16 of FIGURES 1-5, or maybe modified as in FIGS. 6, 7 or 8. In addition, cutouts 30' are providedin each side wall so that a person may span the top edges of thecontainer to carry it. This container, because of its frusto-pyramidalconfiguration may be nested with like containers to thereby save spacewhen the containers are stored prior to use. As noted above, theadvantage of this particular container resides in its ability to beself-standing. If desired, a cardboard bottom 47' may be attached to thelower edges of each of the side walls so that the internal portion ofthe container may be used to carry other food products, such assandwiches or the like. However, it will be noted that if the containeris utilized in this manner with a permanently installed bottom, itsnesting capacity is destroyed.

In FIGURE 13 a still further embodiment of the present invention isshown. This embodiment can be applied to any of the precedingembodiments and relates to a different type of cutout arrangement forreceiving cups. More specifically, the cutout 47 is made by actuallyshearing sheet 11" along lines 49, 50, 51, 52 and 53, as shown. However,the ends of lines 51 and 52 are connected by scoring 54 and the ends oflines 50 and 53 are connected along scoring 55. Essentially, therefore,there are two cutout halves 56 and 57 hinged to sheet 11" by scoredportions 54 and 55. Thus when the cup 22 is mounted on lower tab 58 inthe same manner as noted above with respect to tab 18 of FIGURES 1-5,cutout halves 56 and 57 will swing backwardly as the cup is pushed intoposition. However, halves 56 and 57 may bear against the sides of thecup to further stabilize it. In addition, it is to be noted that sincethe actual cutaway portions are not formed in sheet 11" until such timeas the cup is inserted into position, the face of sheet 11 may be usedas uninterrupted advertising surface.

If desired, the spacing between scored lines 14 and of FIG. 1 may beincreased so that the inside space between the folded halves of sheet 11may be used to carry sandwiches, or the like. Also, while the containershave been shown with four cutouts, it will be appreciated that anydesired number of cutouts may be provided. 7

In FIGURE 14 a cutout similar to that of FIGURE 13 is shown whereinlines 60, 61, 62, 63 and 69 are sheared, and scored lines 64 and 65 areprovided between the ends of sheared'lines 61-62 and 60-63,respectively. Thus, the embodiment of FIGURE 14 is provided with cutouthalves 66 and 67 which are similar to cutout halves 56 and 57 of FIGURE13. However, in addition scored lines 78 and 79 are provided underlyingsheared lines 62 and 63, respectively, so that if the cup is of greaterheight than can be accommodated by the opening of flaps 66 and 67, thescored lines 78 and 79 will permit flaps 68 to yield to accommodate saidcup of greater height.

If desired, the planar sheet like members utilized in fabricating theimproved cup carrying containers of the present invention may consisteither of pure plastic, instead of the cardboard noted above, or mayconsist of cardboard which is coated with a plastic-like material forthe purpose of water proofing the cardboard and imparting greaterstrength and durability to the material to thereby permit it to bereused if desired.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have beendisclosed, it will be appreciated that it is not restricted thereto butmay be otherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A cup carrying container for carrying a cup having an upper rim and aremovable cover mounted on said upper rim, comprising a planarsheet-like member having a cup receiving cutout therein of substantiallythe configuration of a vertical cross section of a portion of said cup,said cup receiving cutout including an upper downwardly extending tabfor providing latching engagement with said cover to thereby both retainsaid cup within said cup receiving cutout and also maintain said coverseated firmly on said cup, said downwardly extending tab being flankedat its extremities by substantially laterally extending slots havingupper horizontally extending peripheral edges for bearing down on theremovable cover mounted on said upper rim of said cup, said cupreceiving cutout including substantially vertical opposite edge portionsspaced substantially from each other and lying inwardly of the outerextremities of said laterally extending slots for tending to exertlateral stabilizing pressure on the side of said cup, and a lower tabextending upwardly in opposition to said upper tab for either providingan interlocking latching engagement with a lower rim of said cup or forbeing deflected laterally for supporting the bottom of a substantiallyrimless cup, and handle means in said planar member located above saidcup receiving cutout for permitting insertion of a persons fingers topermit said container to be carried.

2. A cup carrying container for carrying a plurality of cups each havingan upper rim comprising a planar sheet like member having a plurality ofcup receiving cutouts therein of substantially the configuration of avertical cross section of a portion of said cups, each of said cupreceiving cutouts including an upper downwardly extending tab lying inthe plane of said sheet-like member for providing latching engagementwith said upper rim, said downwardly extending tab being flanked at itsextremities by slots for receiving said upper rim, said cup receivingcutouts including substantially vertical opposite edge portions lyinginwardly of the outer extremities of said slots for tending to exertlateral stabilizing pressure on the side of said cups, a lower tabextending upwardly in opposition to said upper tab and lying insubstantially coplanar relationship with said planar sheet-like memberfor providing an interlocking latching engagement with lower rims ofsaid cups or for being deflected laterally for supporting the bottom ofsubstantially rimless cups, scoring extending across a midportion ofsaid planar sheet-like member for permitting it to be foldedsubstantially in half to provide two opposed sides, handle means formedby handle cutouts lying in substantially facing relationship above saidcup receiving cutouts for permitting insertion of a persons fingers topermit said container to be carried when said planar sheet-like memberis folded along said scoring, at least one of said cup receiving cutoutsbeing located in each of said opposed sides, said cup receiving cutoutsin said opposite sides being staggered relative to each other to permitcups carried by said cup receiving cutouts to lie in staggeredrelationship with respect to each other.

3. A' cup carrying container as set forth in claim 2 wherein said cupreceiving cutouts are staggered an amount which permits the sides ofsaid cups to tend to contact each other to thereby tend to provide astabilizing contact with each other when said container is beingcarried.

4. A cup carrying container .as set forth in claim 3 wherein at leastone of said handle cutouts includes a hinge portion for permitting aportion of said planar sheet-like member originally within said cutoutto. be folded inwardly to provide a relatively blunt bearing surface forbearing engagement with a persons hand.

5. A cup carrying container as set forth in claim 4 wherein each of saidopposed handle cutouts includes a hinge portion and a cutout portion forpermitting each of said portions of said planar sheet-like memberwithinsaid cutout portion to be bent out of the plane of said sheet-likemember for providing a relatively blunt surface for bearing on a personshand.

6. A cup carrying container for carrying a plurality of cups each havingan upper rim comprising a planar sheet-. like member having a pluralityof cup receiving cutouts therein of substantially the configuration of avertical cross section of a portion of said cups, each of said cupreceiving cutouts including an upper downwardly extending tab lying inthe plane of said sheet-like member for providing latching engagementwith said upper rim, said downwardly extending tab being flanked at itsextremities.

by slots for receiving said upper rim, said cup receiving cutoutsincluding substantially vertical opposite edge portions lying inwardlyof the outer extremities of said slots for tending to exert lateralstabilizing pressure on the side of said cups, a lower tab extendingupwardly in opposition to said upper tab and lying in substantiallycoplanar relationship with said planar sheet-like member for providingan interlocking latching engagement with lower rims of said cups or forbeing deflected laterally for supporting the bottom of substantiallyrimless cups, scoring extending across a midportion of said planarsheet-like member for permitting it to be folded substantially in halfto provide two opposed sides, handle means formed by handle cutoutslying in substantially facing relationship above said cup receivingcutouts for permitting insertion of a persons fingers to permit saidcontainer to be carried when said planar sheet-like member is foldedalong said scoring, at least one of said cup receiving cutouts beinglocated in each of said opposed sides, and tab members which may bepulled outwardly from 7. said planar sheet-like member to rest on asurface and to provide support for the lower sides of said cups tothereby support said cup carrying container in an upright standingposition with cups mounted in said cup receiving cutouts.

7. A cup carrying container for carrying a plurality of cups each havingan upper rim comprising a planar sheetlike member having a plurality ofcup receiving cutouts therein of substantially the configuration of avertical cross section of a portion of said cups, each of said cupreceiving cutouts including an upper downwardly extending tab lying inthe plane of said sheet-like member for providing latching engagementwith said upper rim, said downwardly extending tab being flanked at itsextremities by slots for receiving said upper rim, said cup receivingcutouts including substantially vertical opposite edge portions lyinginwardly of the outer extremities of said slots for tending to exertlateral stabilizing pressure on the side of said cups, 2 lower tabextending upwardly in opposition to said upper tab and lying insubstantially coplanar relationship with said planar sheet-like memberfor providing an interlocking latching engagement with lower rims ofsaid cups or for being deflected laterally for supporting the bottom ofsubstantially rimless cups, scoring extending across a midportion ofsaid planar sheet-like member for permitting it to be foldedsubstantially in half to provide two opposed sides, handle, means formedby handle cutouts lying in substantially facing relationship above saidcup receiving cutouts for permitting insertion of a persons fingers'topermit said container to be carried when said planar sheet-like memberis folded along said scoring, at least one of said cup receiving cutoutsbeing located in each of said opposed sides, and means for supportingsaid cup carrying container in an upright standing position with cupsmounted in said cup receiving cutouts, said last mentioned meansincluding said scoring extending in a vertical direction between saidopposite sides of said container to permit opposite sides of saidcontainer to be opened outwardly a suflicient amount to cause the loweredges thereof to be mounted in a stable condition on a surface. I

8; A cup carrying container as set forth in claim 7 including scoringunderlying said bottom tab to permit said container to accommodate cupsof different heights.

9. A cup carrying container fabricated entirely from a planar sheet-likemember for carrying a plurality of cups comprising means for permittingsaid planar sheet-like member to be folded substantially into two sideportions each having upper and lower edges, said side portions includingcup receiving cutouts therein of substantially the configuration ofvertical cross sections of cups to be received therein, each of said cupreceiving cutouts including an upper downwardly extending tab lying inthe plane of said sheet-like member for providing latching engagementwith the upper rim of said cup, said downwardly extending tab beingflanked at its extremities by upper slots for receiving said upper rim,said cup receiving cutouts including a lower tab extending upwardly inopposition to said upper downwardly extending tab, said lower tab beingflanked by lower slots for either receiving the lower rim of a cuphaving a pronounced lower rim or for permitting said upwardly extendingtab to be bent outwardly to serve as a shelf for a cup which does nothave a pronounced lower rim, edge portions in each of said cutoutsextending between said upper and lower slots, and handle cutouts in eachof said side portions of said planar member located above said cupreceiving cutouts for permitting insertion of a persons fingers tothereby permit said container to be carried when it is folded, saidmeans for permitting said planar sheet-like material to be foldedcomprising scoring extending substantially perpendicularly to said loweredges of said side portions, said scoring permitting said oppositehalves to be spread apart to in turn permit said container to beself-standing on said lower edges of said side portions.

10. A cup carrying container fabricated entirely from a planarsheet-like member for carrying a plurality of cups comprising means forpermitting said planar sheet-like member to be folded substantially intotwo side portions each having upper and lower edges, said side portionsincluding cup receiving cutouts therein of substantially theconfiguration of vertical cross sections of cups to be received therein,each of said cup receiving cutouts including an upper downwardlyextending tab lying in the plane of said sheet-like member for providinglatching engagement with the upper rim of said cup, said downwardlyextending tab being flanked at its extremities by upper slots forreceiving said upper rim, said cup re ceiving cutouts including a lowertab extending upwardly in opposite to said upper downwardly extendingtab, said lower tab being flanked by lower slots for either receivingthe lower rim of a cup having a pronounced lower rim or for permittingsaid upwardly extending tab to be bent outwardly to serve as a shelf fora cup which does not have a pronounced lower rim, edge portions in eachof said cutouts extending between said upper and lower slots and handlecutouts in each of said side portions of said planar member locatedabove said cup receiving cutouts for permitting insertion of a personsfingers to thereby permit said container to be carried when it isfolded, said lower tab having at least one scored portion underlying andfollowing the contour of the lower tab and the lower edge of the lowerslot to permit the space between said upper and lower tabs to beenlarged for receiving cups of larger dimension than the originaldistance between said upper and lower-tabs.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 733,441 7/1903Wade et al 20679 1,687,138 10/1928 Myers 21l73 2,058,542 10/1936 Wise20679 2,671,584 3/1954 Taylor 211-73 2,845,758 8/1958 Lowthian 206792,860,774 11/1958 Ball 2608O 3,094,259 6/1963 Diehl 224-48.2

FOREIGN PATENTS 356,067 9/ 1931 Great Britain.

GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

HUGO O. SCHULZ, Examiner.

I. E. OLDS, Assistant Examiner.

10. A CUP CARRYING CONTAINER FABRICATED ENTIRELY FROM A PLANARSHEET-LIKE MEMBER FOR CARRYING A PLURALITY OF CUPS COMPRISING MEANS FORPERMITTING SAID PLANAR SHEET-LIKE MEMBER TO BE FOLDED SUBSTANTIALLY INTOTWO SIDE PORTIONS EACH HAVING UPPER AND LOWER EDGES, SAID SIDE PORTIONSINCLUDING CUP RECEIVING CUTOUTS THEREIN OF SUBSTANTIALLY THECONFIGURATION OF VERTICAL CROSS SECTIONS OF CUPS TO BE RECEIVED THEREIN,EACH OF SAID CUP RECEIVING CUTOUTS INCLUDING AN UPPER DOWNWARDLYEXTENDING TAB LYING IN THE PLANE OF SAID SHEET-LIKE MEMBER FOR PROVIDINGLATCHING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE UPPER RIM OF SAID CUP, SAID DOWNWARDLYEXTENDING TAB BEING FLANKED AT ITS EXTREMITIES BY UPPER SLOTS FORRECEIVING SAID UPPER RIM, SAID CUP RECEIVING CUTOUTS INCLUDING A LOWERTAB EXTENDING UPWARDLY IN OPPOSITE TO SAID UPPER DOWNWARDLY EXTENDINGTAB, SAID LOWER TAB BEING FLANKED BY LOWER SLOTS FOR EITHER RECEIVINGTHE LOWER RIM OF A CUP HAVING A PRONOUNCED LOWER RIM OR FOR PERMITTINGSAID UPWARDLY EXTENDING TAB TO BE BENT OUTWARDLY TO SERVE AS A SHELF FORA CUP WHICH DOES NOT HAVE A PRONOUNCED LOWER RIM, EDGE PORTIONS IN EACHOF SAID CUTOUTS EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID UPPER AND LOWER SLOTS AND HANDLECUTOUTS IN EACH OF SAID SIDE PORTIONS OF SAID PLANAR MEMBER LOCATEDABOVE SAID CUP RECEIVING CUTOUTS FOR PERMITTING INSERTION OF A PERSON''SFINGERS TO THEREBY PERMIT SAID CONTAINER TO BE CARRIED WHEN IT ISFOLDED, SAID LOWER TAB HAVING AT LEAST ONE SCORED PORTION UNDERLYING ANDFOLLOWING THE CONTOUR OF THE LOWER TAB AND THE LOWER EDGE OF THE LOWERSLOT TO PERMIT THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID UPPER AND LOWER TABS TO BEENLARGED FOR RECEIVING CUPS OF LARGER DIMENSION THAN THE ORIGINALDISTANCE BETWEEN SAID UPPER AND LOWER TABS.